UK | Gen Z covet DVDs and CDs with nearly three-quarters buying physical media in the past year: Sales of physical media are booming, sparked by those aged 13 to 28. In an era of gaming, film, music and TV via the internet, Britons are now hankering after owning tangible goods. Some 54 per cent have bought a physical media item in the past year—spending an average £273.80, a Gumtree poll has found. DVDs and CDs were most popular, with a quarter of buyers snapping these up. This was followed by computer games (22 per cent) and vinyl records (14 per cent). The retro revival is being led by Gen Z—those aged 13 to 28—with nearly three-quarters purchasing at least one physical media item in the past year. Gumtree says 66 per cent of those aged 29 to 44, 52 per cent of 45 to 60-year-olds and 35 per cent of 60 to 79-year-olds have also bought some, the survey of 2,000 people found.
Loughborough, UK | Meet the Leicestershire man who opened a record store after being ‘dead’ for 18 minutes: The ‘eye-opening’ health scare prompted a career change. A man who “died” for 18 minutes after suffering a heart attack has embraced a major career change. Eddie Tivey is the man behind Libra Records—a store which was born after a very dramatic time in hospital. “Rave DJ” Eddie suffered a heart attack two months ago and ended up in hospital, but if that wasn’t dramatic enough the mechanical engineer had technically died from the cardiac arrest. After he was brought back, Eddie looked again on life after the “eye-opening” experience and decided a change in career was needed. The result is Libra Records which offers a selection of “new and secondhand” records covering “all genres”. The Loughborough store opened earlier this month and sells a variety of items including vinyl records, tapes, and CD’s—with the plan all forming from Eddie’s hospital bed.
Tottenham, UK | Legendary north London vinyl shop Zen Records is closing: Tottenham’s reggae, soul and rare groove vinyl store Zen Records has been open for three decades. Tottenham’s Zen Records has announced it’ll be closing after three decades in business. Zen Records specialises in reggae, rare groove, soul and R&B vinyl, and is run by Robert Douglas, who is now stepping back from the shop ‘for health reasons.’ The shop, near Seven Sisters station at 69 Broad Lane, announced its closure via Instagram. ‘Robert came from the vibrant sound system scene, playing out regularly before deciding to dedicate his life to sharing music instead of spinning it,’ said the post. ‘With a passion and knowledge that only true connoisseurs possess, he opened Zen Records and the rest is local music history.’
Manchester, UK | Manchester’s Eastern Bloc Records to host Mr Scruff, Kerrie for 40th-anniversary bash: The long-running record store and music venue will celebrate the milestone [this] week. Manchester’s Eastern Bloc Records has detailed plans for a three-day 40th-anniversary celebration later this month. From Friday, July 25th through Sunday, July 27th, the long-running record store and music venue will host an array of artists from Manchester and beyond. They include Mr Scruff, Mark XTC, Krysko, 808 State’s Graham Massey and Tresor resident Kerrie (a former employee of the shop.) Current shop staffers Jim Bane, Means&3rd and SilasTheDon will also perform—a “special guest” has yet to be announced. Founded by John Berry and 808 State’s Martin Price in 1985, Eastern Bloc Records has remained a consistent hub for up-and-coming Mancunian artists to gather tunes and hone their craft.
San Francisco, CA | Asian pop star to be swarmed by fans at San Francisco meet and greet: A free meet and greet with a pop superstar from Asia is set to pack the house at one San Francisco record store. Jackson Wang is doing a photo op with fans at Amoeba Music in San Francisco’s Haight Street on Thursday, July 24 at 4 p.m. The meet and greet is available only for fans who pre-ordered Wang’s upcoming album “MAGICMAN 2” in person at the Amoeba store in San Francisco. Pre-orders began on July 2, and fans were given a wristband for the meet and greet. The event is sold out as the meet and greet has reached its capacity, according to Amoeba, which calls itself “The World’s Largest Independent Record Store.” Wang is only taking pictures with fans and will not be signing autographs, Amoeba said. Fans can get a solo picture with the artist or in a group with their friends.
UnCovered: Sevan Mater Founder Luke Murray Discusses 3D Album Covers: Luke Murray, Founder of Sevan Mater, discusses his company’s innovative, groundbreaking 3D album covers, like that on Iced Earth’s ‘Dystopia” (Century Media) vinyl. One of the true casualties of online music streaming is the album artwork. Sure, it still appears on the screen when you hear the song, but unless you’re willing to shell out upwards of 50 dollars on the vinyl, that’s about your only experience with the art. It has taken the record label Sevan Mater to innovate the space of album artwork with the creation of fully lenticular, single-piece 3D album covers. Truly groundbreaking in a way never really conceptualized, these album covers are brought to life like never before. Unlike traditional covers that use an adhesive 3D layer, Sevan Mater’s covers are integrated into a single piece. Manufactured in Italy, the company has ensured to make this an affordable product for all musicians. It’s not just for acts with huge fan bases and lots of money.
Charlotte, NC | Sonopress Launches EcoRecord Production in the United States: Last week marked a bold step into the future of LP record manufacturing and truly historic moment for Sonopress. The leading global manufacturer of storage media and a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Marketing Services—has successfully commissioned its first production machine for EcoRecords at its new facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. The equipment is specifically designed for the environmentally friendly production of the company’s innovative sustainable LP record, marking a major milestone in Sonopress’s international growth strategy. “Key customers—including representatives from music major Warner Music Group, who recently toured the new facility—were unanimously impressed and welcomed our decision to manufacture our sustainable long-play records locally in the United States,” said Sven Deutschmann, CEO of Sonopress.
Ortofon MC X30 review: A sensibly-priced moving coil cartridge with plenty of talent Tested at £599/$699. The introduction of a completely new cartridge range is a pretty rare event. Given the maturity of the technology, it often takes years, and sometimes decades, for manufacturers to develop new products that suitably advance the cause. So, when an industry major such as Ortofon replaces its Quintet series of affordable moving coils with the all-new MC X range, we’re keen to have a listen. This is a four-strong lineup, with the MC X30 sitting one down from the range-topping MC X40 (£895 / $999). The main difference between the four cartridges comes down to stylus profile, which gets increasingly more ambitious as the price increases. The MC X30 uses a Nude Fine-Line stylus while the range topper features a rather exotic Nude Shibata. The first two rungs of the range feature elliptical profiles in standard and Nude forms.
Lemont, IL | Record Collectors Show: Sat, Aug 2, 2025 at 9:00 AM. Georgios Banquets, Quality Inn & Suites Conference Centre, 8800 W 159th St, Orland Park, IL, 60462.
Patrons will have the chance to choose between thousands of vinyl records, compact discs, cassettes, posters, books or archival supplies of your favorite group or performer at 50 vendor tables. From Heavy Metal to Easy Listening many eras are usually represented from the 1950’s thru today’s Artists. Wide aisles, and great lighting with plenty of parking, or convenient PACE BUS Service every half hour to they’re front door! Genersl Admission is $3.00. Kids free.
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